A sparkling square, a family caravan, and a risky idea that turned into a community magnet. We sit down with Chad, a former hospital executive who moved from California to Northwest Arkansas and opened a locally owned Melting Pot in Rogers. What started as a sarcastic date-night comment became a full-on leap into hospitality: with a design built for connection and a menu that makes you put the phone down and pick up a fondue fork.

We explore why Northwest Arkansas checked every box for raising kids and building a business, then get practical about the experience that keeps the room buzzing: four thoughtful courses, servers crafting cheese table side, induction cooking that’s safe and precise, and a flexible menu from curated classics to vegan options. If you’ve ever worried about doneness, QR timers take the guesswork out; if you’ve got allergies, separate pots and certified protocols make it easy to relax. Pricing stays approachable, from a power lunch near twenty dollars to a full four-course around sixty per person, so families, date nights, and corporate groups can all find their lane.

Chad’s team designed the space to fit real life: Lover’s Lane booths for proposals and anniversaries, a floor-to-ceiling private room for 10–18 guests, high-top café seating, and a full four-course menu at the bar for walk-ins. Early demand spiked so fast they upgraded the dish setup overnight. Then they got creative locally: a Melting Pot Express shuttle to the Walmart AMP during concert season, patio socials with roaming cheese and chocolate stations, and kid-forward programming like Grinch lunches during the Holidays, princess visits, and storybook weekends. It’s a national brand with a local heartbeat: owned, staffed, and shaped by people who live 18 minutes away.

If you’re ready for dinner that feels like an experience, where conversation leads and the table does the cooking, this one’s for you. Hit play, then grab a reservation.

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Downtown Bentonville just got a new reason to rally. We sit down with the force behind Fry, a hidden-in-plain-sight bar at 100 SW 2nd Street, built on a simple promise: keep prices fair, keep service quick, and make it easy for people to gather. Think a $7 old fashioned, a lunch-and-a-pint target around $12, and a menu anchored by focaccia-based “fry pies” designed for speed without sacrificing flavor.

We unpack the location’s advantages, it's steps from First Seat, Barley & Vine, and a cluster of downtown favorites, plus it has two patios that can shift from mellow afternoons to lively nights. The beer plan is purposefully tight: two house drafts, Fry Heavy and Fry Light, crafted with Trailhead. Packaged standbys will be there too, because inclusivity matters. The limited taps keep quality consistent and wait times low, taking a page from classic two-choice beer halls while leaving room to rotate specialties as production scales.

You’ll also hear the surprising origin of the name: a seahorse story that became a brand anchor and a reminder to keep going when plans fall through. From permitting wins and fast buildout to pop-up music on a compact front stage and a larger east patio that could host 100-plus by spring, the roadmap is clear. The bigger theme, though, is collaboration over competition. Our guest and Trailer Tony break down how breweries, bars, and neighbors turns a district into a destination and helps everyone grow in step with Arkansas’s evolving landscape.

Want first dibs on opening night and VIP tastings? Follow @fry_bentonville, subscribe to the show, and leave a quick review telling us which fry pie you want to try first. We’ll see you on the patio.

A bourbon night that starts with Pappy Van Winkle and ends with purpose doesn’t happen by accident. We pulled back the curtain on how a fourth-year charity tasting in Bentonville raised around $100,000 while keeping the room small, the music live, and the vibe unmistakably warm. From a honey-finished Buffalo Trace that opened up with a few drops of water to VIP bottles at every seat, every detail was designed to turn great pours into generous bids without feeling pushy.

We brought in Scotty Hasting, an up-and-coming Nashville artist and veteran who rebuilt his musicianship after being wounded, and his story anchored the night. That through-line, craft meeting resilience, connected the tasting to the cause in a way slides never could. The auction stayed fresh with experiential lots: a bourbon locker concept, custom art, private tastings, and a dessert twist that stole the show; salted caramel bourbon vanilla ice cream made from donated bottles, offered both as a sweet finish and a “name-your-flavor” auction prize.

Behind the scenes, we refined mechanics that guests actually feel. Pre-poured one-ounce bottles replaced chaotic table pours, turning the lineup into a guided journey. Catering served food hot and flavorful, bartenders handled classics for non-tasters, and our hosts opened a barn that guests never wanted to leave. Demand spiked, tables spoken for months ahead and last-minute calls asking for any spare tickets, which raised the big question: how do we grow impact without growing headcount? Our plan: keep the room intimate, add a small silent auction and a low-barrier door raffle, and test a pre-party with a single rare bottle and simple food to prime the pump.

If you care about bourbon, community, veterans, or the craft of running a high-trust fundraiser, you’ll find a playbook here: lead with a showstopper, tell a real story, obsess over small moments, and keep the numbers transparent.

Subscribe, share this with a bourbon-loving friend, and leave a quick review with your favorite pour of the night. Your feedback shapes the lineup, and helps us raise even more for those who served.

A granola shot that goes down like bourbon and lands like a health upgrade. We bring Gita, the founder of Gut BFF, into the studio with Gabby to taste three flavors, Honey Glow, Apple Cinnamon Raisin, and Chocolate Peanut Butter, and dig into the big idea behind the crunch: 20 different plant ingredients per bag, designed to help you get closer to the 30-plants-per-week guideline from the American Gut Study.

Gita shares how food-first changes helped her navigate insulin resistance and post-COVID cholesterol concerns, and why prebiotics plus probiotics beat supplements alone. Think of probiotics as seeds and prebiotics as fertilizer; feed both and you generate short-chain fatty acids that support immunity, brain energy, digestion, and overall wellness. We get practical about how people really eat granola, on yogurt for texture, by the handful at 4 p.m., or as a lighter cereal, while calling out what makes this different from the usual sugar bombs: popped ancient grains for clean crunch, nuts and seeds for fiber and protein, and restrained sweetness that lets flavor win.

If you’re building a consumer brand, there’s a playbook here. Bootstrapping forced fast feedback loops, farmers markets, yoga studios, sampler three-packs, while an FDA-inspected regional facility bridged the scary gap between home production and big co-pack runs. We talk pricing, local retail rollout, and smart timing for a raise, plus how to scale without losing quality or shelf life. There’s also a cultural shift powering demand: Gen Z is leaning into gut health and clean labels, not just because of dietary restrictions like celiac or alpha-gal, but because they want snacks that feel good and actually taste great.

By the end, you’ll know which flavor stole the show, how to hit your plant diversity goals without overthinking breakfast, and why taste is the most underrated health strategy. Try the sampler, top your favorite yogurt, and tell us your winner.

Subscribe, share with a friend who lives on “healthy” snacks, and drop a review with your flavor pick, what should the next berry be?

Bourbon on the table, big ideas in the air. We sit down with an award-winning filmmaker who left Southern California for Northwest Arkansas and break down, step by step, how a small, collaborative community can grow into a real film hub. Between a honey-finished Buffalo Trace taste test and a few jabs at our missing co-hosts, we dig into the practical levers that matter to creators and investors alike: Arkansas’s cash rebate incentive, easy access to locations, and a surprisingly deep bench of crew.

Scott shares the creative and business blueprint for his contained thriller, In Memoriam, a character-driven story about a daughter who uses memory tech to visit her comatose father and uncovers a painful truth. We talk budgets in the $500k–$600k range, how to stretch locations, and why pre-sales and smart casting can make or break indie projects. Then we lay out a realistic distribution ladder: streaming-first to control P&A, limited theatrical to build earned media, and a pathway to wider release once the data supports it. If you’re curious how films really get financed and sold in today’s market, this is a candid, usable playbook.

We also explore Scott’s second engine: construction site storytelling. Think solar time-lapse cameras snapping every ten minutes, drone passes with graphic overlays, and monthly and quarterly edits that double as investor updates and sales content. It’s a smarter alternative to one-and-done drone tours, giving builders live jobsite views and a narrative asset that wins the next RFP. Toss in a priceless Apple-era anecdote—yes, a “Hate it” email from Steve Jobs—and you’ve got a conversation that blends craft, commerce, and community.

Join us for a grounded look at filmmaking from Bentonville: incentives, crews, distribution strategy, and the creative grit it takes to ship. If you enjoy this kind of inside-the-industry breakdown, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves movies or bourbon, and leave a quick review to help others find us.

What if clean eating didn’t mean bland food, complicated meal prep, or $15 drive‑thru compromises? We sit down with Stu of Stu's Clean Cooking, a veteran who shed 100 pounds and turned his personal transformation into a fast‑growing meal company that serves up real food at real‑world prices. He breaks down the simple framework that actually sticks: whole ingredients, smart portions, and options you’ll want to eat again tomorrow.

We get candid about the science and the traps. Stu explains why insulin control matters, how ketones help mobilize fat, and where “keto” goes wrong when it becomes candy with a label. Then we walk through the menu—from brisket mac and pork carnitas to quinoa bowls—showing how “healthy” and “kind of healthy” lanes keep adherence high without sacrificing flavor. The kicker: most meals land in the 500–700 calorie range, with protein front and center, and prices starting at $6.99 when you buy in bulk.

Behind the scenes, Stu's mechanical mind fuels consistency. He builds custom smokers, sizes veggies to reheat evenly, and runs separate protein smokers to protect celiac and alpha‑gal customers. We talk storefront strategy, delivery options, workplace freezer stocking, and why a central kitchen keeps costs down. He also opens up about the limits of scaling without USDA certification, the frustration of being ineligible for SNAP despite offering nutrient‑dense meals, and how community support and transparent labeling win trust.

If you want practical nutrition that fits a busy life—keto without the gimmicks, macros without the math headache, and frozen meals that actually taste fresh—this conversation is your playbook. Try the app, grab a dozen, and make better your default choice. If you enjoyed this, follow the show, leave a rating, and share it with a friend who’s ready to trade fast food for real fuel.

A caramel-apple bourbon toast opens the door to a story that hits harder than cinnamon: growing up in a restrictive church, feeling unseen, and transforming that past into a mission to build belonging at scale. Our guest—known to thousands as “Queenie B”—breaks down how a simple idea became a million-view movement that helps singles connect and small businesses grow without buying ads.

We unpack the playbook behind Queenie Connects, the singles social group that ditched awkward first dates for low-pressure events and genuine conversation. The formula is refreshingly human: when you stop selling and start hosting, people relax, show up as themselves, and make real connections. That approach spilled into entrepreneurship with the NWA Networking Alliance—now rebranding to Hive Networking—a public Facebook group engineered for organic reach, authentic intros, and thoughtful moderation. In just five weeks: 6,300 members, one million views, and a long list of owners reporting viral posts and new customers.

You’ll hear why public groups amplify discovery, how moderation standards transform “ads” into stories people actually share, and why the hive metaphor matters: everyone contributes, everyone benefits. We talk sponsorships that feel like partnerships, virtual-first access for time-strapped founders, and the surprising power of giving comments before asking for clicks. From prom gowns for teens to collaborations with Fashion Week and cultural institutions, this is community-building as a growth engine—practical, generous, and wildly effective.

If you’re curious about organic marketing, authentic networking, and turning strangers into supporters, this conversation hands you the blueprint. Subscribe, share with a friend who runs a small business, and tell us: what authentic story are you ready to post next?

The smell of fresh bread can change a life. Our guests from Great Harvest NWA share how a spur-of-the-moment lunch on a road trip, followed by a snowy trek to Montana, led them to trade corporate titles for early mornings, warm ovens, and a bakery that already feels like a Bentonville staple. Their why comes through fast: fresh-milled Montana wheat, no preservatives, house-made dressings, and the freedom to create within a “freedom franchise” model that invites personal flair and genuine hospitality.

We dig into the details food lovers care about: the Baja Chipotle turkey that regulars swear by, cinnamon rolls and cinnamon chip bread that sell out, salted vanilla honey butter you’ll want on everything, and a scone that single-handedly rewrote what a scone can be. They talk through dietary realities with honesty—how they handle egg-free or dairy-free requests, why gluten-free bread isn’t feasible in a flour-filled bakery—and share smart conveniences like a drive-thru, strong rewards, online ordering, and delivery via DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Seasonal fans get a preview too: cranberry swirl bread, stuffing bread, and rolls ready for Thanksgiving tables, plus a sourdough starter winging in from Montana with a community naming twist.

What really stands out is the community heartbeat. Regulars already have names and stories. Ambassadors show up unprompted, passing menus to fly fishing clubs and bringing new friends every week. The team is building something that feels local because it is—owners on-site, young staff learning real service, and a space designed for conversation as much as convenience. We also look forward: how to scale to Fayetteville and beyond without losing the vibe that makes this place special, and what it takes to keep quality high while getting faster.

Hungry yet? Check the hours, scan the menu, and plan your first visit or delivery. If you enjoy this conversation, subscribe, share it with a friend who loves great bread, and leave a quick review—what should they name their sourdough starter?